


the recruitment.

by dames_for_jamesbarnes



Series: i stole your heart (and broke it, too) [2]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Ocean's Eleven Trilogy (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Criminals, F/M, Team Dynamics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:15:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26556454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dames_for_jamesbarnes/pseuds/dames_for_jamesbarnes
Summary: hotch and rossi sit, side by side. the dining room is a brilliant artificial hue, accented with romance by centerpiece candles and smiles from underpaid waitresses. but their eyes aren’t on the waitstaff, or the decor, or on the food passing them by. no, they’re on her.
Relationships: Aaron Hotchner & David Rossi, Aaron Hotchner/Reader
Series: i stole your heart (and broke it, too) [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1931206
Comments: 1
Kudos: 22





	the recruitment.

“do you think -“

“absolutely.”

“in the foyer -“

“- with the valet -“

“- a good distraction.”

hotch and rossi sit, side by side. the dining room is a brilliant artificial hue, accented with romance by centerpiece candles and smiles from underpaid waitresses. but their eyes aren’t on the waitstaff, or the decor, or on the food passing them by. no, they’re on her.

she’s leaning forward, batting her eyelashes, and the men in front of her are transfixed. her low-cut top has their attention as much as her low, pretty laugh, her clever jokes, the tapping of her nails on the table. she is everywhere and nowhere, and as her hands brush along arms and wrists and hands, she is relentless.

“emily prentiss,” hotch murmurs, trying out her new name on his tongue. “we could use her.”

“she won’t come cheap,” rossi whispers back, but it’s almost teasing, too loud, his hand tapping the table again before he stands up.

“no, but her and morgan?” it comes together in hotch’s mind, and he can see it just as perfectly as he sees the ring on his finger..

“chemistry,” rossi fills in.

“history,” hotch returns. “and we need experience.”

“smarts.”

rossi glances back to her. watches her head toss back, black hair falling in curls along her back before she moves to the bar. and just like that it’s decided. she’s in. 

all coming together. 

hotch reaches down. his fingers play along warm gold metal, twisting it around his skin. 

well. almost all of it. 

“i guess i’m convincing her,” rossi murmurs, seeing the faraway look in his friend’s eye. with a sigh, he reaches to slap the man on the back. “you good for this, aaron?” 

hotch moves to stand, manages a small smirk. “i’m all right, dave, thanks. let me do another walkthrough?” 

the two of them part, then. no long goodbyes, nothing to draw attention. just nods and moving. rossi goes to the bar, orders something strong and plain as emily prentiss continues her show, something fruity and fun and flirty. 

she’ll try and stiff him, hotch predicts. the ring on his finger. and rossi will catch her wrist, call her bluff, name her price. 

but she’s not the woman he’s thinking about anymore. no, he’s thinking about you. 

two floors up, in a casino he’s planning to rob. dave had asked him what made him choose this particular challenge, and he didn’t have the heart to tell him it was the one who got away. it was the boredom, the time in prison, that got him thinking about the greatest heist he could pull, not the thought of you on foyet’s arm.

of course, he wonders if he ever really had you. after all, when he hears your parting words, replays your sobbed out screeches of “liar” and “thief” in his mind, he has to grapple with the fact that he wasn’t a particularly good husband. 

no husband should be the reason their wife cries. 

he hears a laugh, and it pulls him to the surface, helps him come up for air. it’s coming from the bar. rossi, with his charm up to eleven, and emily, her eyes scanning the room. they land on hotch, linger on him, and he nods her way, lets her know with a steady gaze how serious he is. 

rossi won’t know. he can’t know. all he knows is the game, and when hotch stands it’s with a little smile and a move to the bar, ready to seal the deal on another member of their team. 


End file.
